Former Mountaineers baseball standout Jedd Gyorko is preparing to begin spring training with the Padres. Gyorko was a guest on Monday night’s MetroNews Statewide Sportsline and will make the trip out west on Friday.

“I will fly out to San Diego and do their fan fest that they have every year, and then I’ll head out for spring training to get things started,” he said.

Gyorko had a slow start to 2012, but stormed back and put up solid numbers in Triple-A, hitting .328 with 24 home runs.

MLB.com photo

Former WVU star Jedd Gyorko hopes to make the Padres roster out of spring training.

“I have high expectations of myself to try to perform well and try to make the team right out of spring,” he said. “That’s my goal to get to the big leagues and hopefully I can perform well to make the club.”

Though Gyorko was surprised he didn’t get the September call-up last year, he heads into spring training with an opportunity to make the team. He is MLB.com’s highest-rated preseason second base prospect.

“I talked with the GM of the Padres after the season and he said they had some 40-man issues and stuff like that,” Gyorko said. “It doesn’t make it any easier to take in, but at the same time you understand what their thinking was.”

The experience Gyorko gained last year in spring training could be valuable as he tries to make the club this season.

“I’m not going in there trying to make friends with all the guys and trying to introduce myself — they will all know who I am (already),” he said. “I can just go out there and just try to perform well and work on my game.”